Scaffolding Group Work
‘Effective scaffolding can increase the students’ independence in performing a task or learning a new concept through gradual release of responsibility.’ (Echevarria, Vogt and Short 2010; Fisher and Frey, 2008).
Example
As a group, read the question set by the teacher. Make sure everyone in the group understands. Then:
- Answer the question (individually) in a complete sentence and in silence. Provide the group with a question stem/ sentence starter if needed.
- Add more precise examples to the answer through group discussion or mind mapping before writing a better, perfect answer together.
- Join another group and start a discussion that answers the question set by the teacher to practise the ‘perfect answer’. Use phrases such as: I agree because; I disagree because…
